Munich Airport partially suspends operations on Tuesday
Heavy snowfall has paralyzed road, rail and air traffic in Bavaria. Some passengers have been staying overnight at Munich Airport for several days because their trips have been canceled. Freezing rain is now causing the airport to close completely on Tuesday morning.
Munich Airport will once again temporarily suspend operations on Tuesday due to the winter weather. According to an airport spokesperson, there will be no take-offs and landings from 6 a.m. to 12 noon on Tuesday. The reason for this is the forecast freezing rain on Tuesday night, which is expected to make safe flight operations impossible in the morning and in the afternoon. At least 150 take-offs and 160 landings will be affected on Tuesday. According to the airport, more than 770 departures and arrivals are planned for the day.
The airport plans to use the first half of the day to de-ice the operating areas in the event of the forecast freezing rain. The plan is to restart air traffic from midday, it said. However, the flight schedule will probably still be severely restricted in the afternoon. Passengers should plan accordingly and check with their airline. Due to the restrictions on air traffic caused by the severe onset of winter in large parts of Bavaria, around 1500 passengers were still stranded at Munich Airport in the evening, the spokesperson said.
Some passengers were stranded at the airport for several nights. Passengers complained on X that promised connecting flights had been canceled several times. Munich Airport and Lufthansa confirmed on request in the evening that passengers had spent the night in the terminals, "including some several times", as an airport spokesperson replied.
Lufthansa offers meals and hotel rooms
Lufthansa spoke of several hundred passengers who had spent the night at Germany's second-largest airport. Munich is Germany's second largest airport and an important hub for international air traffic. Apparently, it was mainly international passengers who were stranded, not locals. Some X-users had publicly complained about Lufthansa and stated that they had been stuck in Munich for the third day in a row, sometimes without luggage.
Flight operations at Munich Airport were also severely restricted today, Monday. "Lufthansa is providing meals and hotel rooms free of charge to passengers whose onward flight is canceled due to the weather situation in Munich," the statement said. Should the contingent of several hundred rooms be fully booked, passengers would have the option of booking a hotel room themselves and the costs would be reimbursed. "Nevertheless, several hundred passengers are staying overnight in the terminal," the Lufthansa spokeswoman said in the statement. "Either because they don't have a visa to enter the country or because the guests are not taking up the offer to book a hotel room."
The heavy snowfall on the first weekend of Advent is also having an impact on rail travel. Deutsche Bahn (DB) expects further disruptions in Bavaria until the middle of the week and effects nationwide, especially in Baden-Württemberg and towards Switzerland. Travelers have been asked to postpone non-essential journeys until 6 December (Wednesday).
Heavy snowfall over the weekend in large parts of southern Germany had paralyzed rail traffic. Trees blocked tracks, icy overhead lines and snow-covered trains prevented journeys. It remains unclear when all routes will be open again. This Monday, travelers and commuters had to be prepared for delays and train cancellations.
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The extreme weather conditions in Bavaria have led to the closure of Munich Airport for part of Tuesday, affecting over 150 take-offs and landings. Passengers have been staying at the airport for several days due to cancellations caused by the weather, including some international travelers who have yet to receive their visas.
Source: www.ntv.de
